Fun Facts About the Name Mads
- 253 babies named Mads: U.S. records list 253 babies given the name Mads from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Mads Mean?
Mads is a Danish masculine name meaning 'gift of Yahweh,' often rendered 'gift of God.' It comes from the Hebrew Mattityahu, a compound of mattan, 'gift,' and Yah, a shortened form of the divine name Yahweh. That Hebrew name entered Greek as Matthias and Latin as Matthias, the source of the Scandinavian Mathias.
Mads is a Danish short form of Mathias (also spelled Matthias). It shares that name's etymology rather than having an independent origin. In Scandinavia, Mads belongs with the related forms Mats and Mattias. English Matthew is related, but it comes through a different Greek form, Matthaios. The literal sense of the Hebrew name is 'gift of Yahweh'; 'gift of God' is the customary English wording.
Mads Name History & Origins
The name Mads belongs to the Scandinavian reception of the biblical name Matthias. In the New Testament, Matthias is the apostle chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot after the Ascension (Acts 1:26). Because of that biblical figure, Matthias and its variants were used across Christian Europe. In Danish, the Latin Matthias became Mathias, and Mads developed as a short form of that name.
The spelling Mads reflects Danish pronunciation, in which the d is not pronounced as a separate consonant; the name sounds much like 'mass.' A closely related form appears in Swedish and Norwegian as Mats, a short form of Matthias. Mads is a standard Danish given name and is also used in Norway. A well-known modern bearer is the Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.
How Popular is the Name Mads?
Mads has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2021. Its best rank was #3,705 in 2021.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,912 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2024 | #3,932 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2023 | #3,848 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2022 | #4,381 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2021 | #3,705 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2020 | #4,363 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2019 | #4,736 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2018 | #5,689 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #6,221 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #9,370 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #6,563 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #13,321 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #8,603 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #13,585 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Mads Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Mads's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Mads's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.